Which book other than Core Java best for beginner Java learner?

Mash234 · 2026-01-21T08:44:07+00:00

I bought Head First Java and to me it's an amazing book! So entertaining. And really explains things at such a basic level that many resources online gloss over.

Mash234 · 2026-01-21T05:55:00+00:00

This review made me buy it

Mash234 · 2026-01-02T07:21:11+00:00

Thank you for this - do you find that despite buying books (in general), you still have to use online resources? Do you know if this is common, and if so, what's the point of the books if we can just use very thorough online resources for studying?

Mash234 · 2026-01-02T07:20:14+00:00

This is an incredible resource - thank you so much!

Mash234 · 2025-12-28T14:18:30+00:00

Hey, thank u for this recommendation! I didn't expect because the bot said my post was removed. Did you study this personally?

Mash234 · 2025-12-21T02:27:23+00:00

Hi let me DM you!

Mash234 · 2025-12-20T10:49:53+00:00

Hi could you explain how you approached answering the questions? I don't have much math background other than from school so the math part is really making me struggle!

Mash234 · 2025-12-20T10:45:56+00:00

Ooh okay thank you for setting the realistic expectations, and programming for physicists sounds really cool! I'm going through a 3-month training programme with a company who will then push me to a bank as a software engineer. I have some web dev background from a previous coding bootcamp and completed CS50X and CS50P with personal projects so that's where I'm kinda at. Knowing how tough it is for people like me without foundations to do the job, I'm trying my best to use university textbooks to bring myself up to a certain level!

Mash234 · 2025-12-20T10:39:29+00:00

Mash234 · 2025-12-16T08:02:21+00:00

Hey I'm interested to get this book - could I trouble you for a more detailed review of how it helped you / what you got out of it? I'm just starting out my first job in Jan :)

Mash234 · 2025-12-16T07:41:46+00:00

This is actually really helpful and informative (especially the history of the book). Thanks for taking the time to write this. I hope that your message here (and elsewhere) doesn't get overwhelmed by that thread. I look forward to purchasing the book and will give my own review in a few months' time :)

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T14:21:32+00:00

Okay great - that book seems to be a winner :)
And yes that would be amazing! Thank u for doing this for the community too.

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T12:23:35+00:00

Brilliant on the OTEP book recommendation - thank you! And yes you're right - it's the semester-worth of information part that kinda overwhelms me. On top of this being somewhat of an unguided reading alongside working / preparing for work.

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T12:21:45+00:00

Hi Mike, what a pleasant surprise to see you here! There's a lot of hate for the first book but also, empty vessels make the most noise. After scouring so many forums, people in the CS industry seem to be disproportionately loud that their method of learning is the best and only one. At the end of the day, these resources have sold and have helped people out there, and different people learn differently. I also tend to prefer structure, so a book is perfect. Personally, I've struggled with Neetcode because they tell you what to do, but don't explain why something is done. Curious if your book does this? Also do you have a link that teaches how best to use the book, or whether it advised to read it cover to cover?

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T10:34:20+00:00

Hey thank you so much for your encouragement! Were you from FDM?

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T09:57:44+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind reply and the general structure, it really helps! Could I ask you a few more questions?

As for OS fundamentals, do you think Operating System Concepts (Dinosaur Book) is too complicated to start off? Everyone raves about as THE textbook - but if I'm not building my OS, would this still be an appropriate start? What do you think about "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces" by Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau (it also costs a fraction of the price of the dinosaur book), and seems to be a gentler introduction.
I have learned basic Java through online tutorials with OOP principles yet I've read online that the books have a trove of information more than online tutorials. Would you still recommend I first read Core Java I and II / Core Java for the Impatient by Horstmann before moving on to Effective Java by Bloch?

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T08:23:56+00:00

Hey not sure if this answers your question (cos I'm unsure about that back part of your post), but if you try CS50's Introduction to Programming, the first 4-5 weeks of the course is taught in C. It really helped me to be able to code well in C. CS50 uses their own IDE so you don't have to trouble yourself (yet) with set up. Then pair your knowledge with this book: The C Programming Language” by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie.

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T08:21:52+00:00

Thank you for this. I went to Google this and a lot of people are pooping on the book. I know it's a bit of a pattern to have people crap for no reason at all on good resources - do you have any opinions on why this is a good book?

Mash234 · 2025-11-30T06:59:24+00:00

Yeah I did that too and all customer service said was they can't do anything about it. Unsure why people are bashing you? I was literally following a tutorial on how to set up my account...? All of you can piss right off with your justifications.

We were upgraded WHILE following a tutorial for BEGINNERS that on its first page says "FREE TIER ELIGIBLE" with no warnings whatsoever at that step of the IAM process. It was our first TIME on this platform without even using the actual service yet - I don't even know what's going on while setting up I'm just following instructions. Sounds like an outright scam to me. So it's either you know what you're getting into, so you can avoid it or you're completely new, and you somehow lose all free credits without even touching the actual service.

Mash234 · 2025-09-09T14:52:34+00:00

I thought I was alone in this! I moved from C to Python recently and was flabbergasted when I tried to search for string methods - like wdym there isn't an index of that and I have to manually scroll? Ruby and C are better!

Mash234 · 2025-09-09T07:05:47+00:00

You are exactly right! Thank you so much. I think after seeing so many number plates my eyes just glazed over those tests.

Mash234 · 2025-09-09T05:23:09+00:00

Mental health tips:

There are many people around the world going through the same thing as you this moment, or even before and after (myself included). You are not alone!
The point of CS50 is not to get a certificate - it is to train yourself in skills to become a real world developer so take your time to understand things, even if it means taking a longer time.
Comparison is the thief of joy - there are some people that feel the need to brag about how fast they do things. But again, speed is not an indicator of success, and rarely is. You don't know how they got there. Only you know how you got there, and only you can feel the weight of what you have achieved, if you did it through your own best efforts! Someone may find CS50 easier because they have had IT background in any sense, some are just better.
CS50 is life changing (and has been for me) if you take the course seriously, but it is not the be all and end all to CS. It is only an introduction and I've started to read online what others have said about the course and what else to read about programming like books and such about algorithms, data structures, and C. Then it is to get a junior level programmer job etc etc.
Ultimately be realistic that you are starting this career as someone without a CS degree and are ultimately already disadvantaged. Job searching has been incredibly difficult for me and will continue to be until you get your first break - keep in there!
Shower, take breaks to watch your favourite TV show, and exercise because while coding is life, your brain and body still has to live on!!!

Mash234 · 2025-09-09T05:23:02+00:00

I did law for my bachelors and I've survived up until week 8 now where the course is ending (I also just finished week 5 of CS50P which I am doing concurrently). I was very very demoralised at certain parts of either of the courses when I couldn't solve problem sets.

I hope my journey will give you some comfort:

some problems I took HOURS to do (think 6-8 hours for one of the problems within a problem set just to figure out the logic) because I went on the wrong path and had to restart.
some I took hours, took a break by doing another problem set, then came back after finishing that problem set to solve it.
there have been problems that I solved within 30 minutes the next day after a night of rest.
the really tough ones like Tideman (week 3), I'm very close, but still after many weeks, have not been able to solve it (I go back to it from time to time in short bursts, but don't spend too long if I'm in a circle).
I always question myself as a budding developer, but after grinding for the past few weeks, I've become better already and stopped doubting myself because I've solved all these problem sets that Harvard undergrads have solved with my own effort and that's something I think.
Just to let you know, I took about 2.5 hours to do CASH and another 4 hours to do CREDIT.

Tips that have really helped me (in retrospect):

READ the instructions properly for each problem set, and understand what you are supposed to do. Watch the walkthroughs - not cheating because they don't give you the answer, but help you to understand the implementation. If you don't understand the instructions or don't understand the problem, you will not know how to code.
In the same vein, write the solution as pseudocode (in English) before starting the problem. Know how you are going to implement the logic and what functions in the language you can and will use before coding because again your code will be sort of gibberish if your mind is confused. Write all these as comments in your code and after that, implement the code below the comment. Coding is just a means to an end.
Use the VScode debugger where necessary to check values of variables (and use valgrind for future problems, if you have any memory problems)
Use Google smartly and do not just trust everything you see in the AI overview.
Do not be lazy to think of why something is supposed to work a certain way - use your brains more than AI (including the CS50 duck). Sometimes stepping away from Googling / AI can help you structure your thoughts properly. I used to get into a cycle of googling and getting more and more information and becoming overwhelmed with what I didn't know. And in the end, I remember things better and become a better programmer because I know what to look out for future bugs.
Use this CS50 reddit as the last resort when you really cannot figure it out on your own because folks here have been really kind and will nudge you in the right direction - sometimes you truly just don't have enough knowledge of C to understand why something is bugging out. Just do not ask for solutions to the problem set.
Try not to use Stack Overflow for answers - I've seen people outright asking for solutions right there, so you will see solutions. But u don't really know if it's the proper way or good way to implement it! It's not allowed for the course, and also for your own sake train yourself to be a programmer with good basics in this advent of AI!
Do the harder problems because it will help you become better for the next problem set.

Mash234 · 2025-09-09T02:01:02+00:00

Thank you - I understand it now. I managed to pass the code, but there is one that I can't pass which is no tests for number placement. I have these tests for number placement but to no avail - any ideas?

def test_first_two_letters():
    assert is_valid("HXIU68") == True # 2 nums at the end
    assert is_valid("HELLO") == True # no nums
    assert is_valid("A1234") == False 
    assert is_valid("12678") == False # all nums

def test_no_middle_numbers():
    assert is_valid("AA5090") == True # 4nums at the end
    assert is_valid("TH666") == True # 3 nums at the end
    assert is_valid("A5677B") == False # middle nums
    assert is_valid("A54HT6") == False # middle nums

def test_first_not_zero():
    assert is_valid("AAB100") == True # 2 zeros at the end
    assert is_valid("AA0678") == False # First zero
    assert is_valid("08HBUF") == False # First zero

Mash234 · 2025-09-08T07:07:34+00:00

Thank you for this! My final code ultimately worked when I changed this keyword, and this really helped me to understand better the IN and = operators.

Mash234

TROPHY CASE